Charity
by His Lil' Half-Blood Princess
Summary: She doesn't deserve this. She is an innocent. But pureblood society knows no innocence. If you're different, you're guilty. Charity Burbage is guilty. So is Severus Snape. But then why isn't he about to meet his end? NOT A ROMANCE FIC! One-shot.


**Charity**

_Okay, so I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and I LOVED it. The cliffhanger made me so upset, but the rest was just so wonderful. _

_My only problem was that Snape is in the movie only in the beginning when they have the meeting. However, Snape is the STAR in that scene, so it makes up for the lack of Snape through out the rest of the movie. That scene is the one with Charity Burbage. So I have decided to write a short little one-shot (VERY SHORT!) based on the movie, because personally, that scene was portrayed better in the movie._

_Dedicated to Christina and Riley and Bailey for making the movie twice the more fun._

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She hung above the table. He looked up at her. She was not the woman he had recalled her to be.

She was filthy and bloody, beaten and bruised. She looked thin and weak. She could barely move.

Even if she was stronger, she would not be able to move. The ropes bound her too tightly for anyone to undo them.

His eyes glanced over at the boy, who was sitting a few seats down. His eyes were on her too. But his were filled with emotion. Sadness, pain... even a little anger.

He turned away and looked back at her, hanging down like a piñata, there to be beaten. There to be hurt. There to be opened up.

Her eyes were red. Tears streamed down her face, making clean streaks on her dirty cheeks.

"For those of you who do not know," Voldemort began, slowly walking back to his seat. "Our guest tonight is Professor Charity Burbage who, until recently, has been teaching at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Voldemort slid back into his throne. "The subject that she has been teaching is _Muggle Studies."_

Cackles of laughter came from around the table. Snape didn't find any of this _funny. _Charity was being humiliated and hurt in front of everyone. She looked mortified.

"Professor Burbage has expressed her belief that Muggles are no different than any of us."

There was a silence. Everyone looked at Charity as though she was a criminal, when they all were the criminals and she was the innocent. Severus understood why they were looking at her like this. After all, they thought that Muggles and Muggle-borns alike were scum. Nothing. But Severus didn't understand how these people wanted to live in a pureblood world when their leader himself was a half-blood. He was a half-blood as well! He was part Muggle. In fact, if they all looked at their family trees without anyone's name being canceled out, then they all had some Muggle blood in them. Severus even had to agree with Charity in some way. They were all people. They just didn't use magic. They had a different way of living. But what was wrong with that? Even he, someone who hadn't had any very good encounters with Muggles, knew that they weren't scum. They were human beings.

"She has expressed that she feels there is nothing wrong with us mating Muggles. In fact, she has encouraged it."

There were gasps of horror and disgust from nearly everyone. Voldemort nodded.

Severus had to think on that one. There were... problems with mating Muggles. But maybe if society didn't make it seem so terrible, those problems could be resolved. But it was hard for him to say. His childhood had been terrorized by a Muggle because his mother, a witch, and his father, a Muggle, had mated. It caused a problem.

_But they didn't love each other, _Severus thought.

It was love, wasn't it? If you truly loved a Muggle, then what was wrong with that?

But unfortunately, many wizards didn't marry for love.

"But if we are to have a pureblood society then Muggles, Mudbloods, and the people who support them, must go."

If this was pureblood society, where you murder the innocent, marry for power, money, and a good family reputation, and shun away people who want to think differently than everyone else, then who on earth would want to be a part of it? Not him.

Definitely not him.

Charity tried to struggle free. But there was no hope.

Voldemort smiled and looked over Lucius's wand, getting ready. He stroked the smooth, black wand like he would Nagini. Lucius stared at him as he did this, something like envy in his eyes.

Severus watched him to, waiting for him to end yet another innocent life.

Charity was just another casualty.

But that didn't mean it was all right.

Charity's brown eyes glanced over at Snape. And in a hoarse whisper, she began to speak:

"Severus," she begged. Everyone's eyes looked at the two of them. Severus looked at her, saying absolutely nothing.

What could he say? What could he say that would not hurt Charity and not give himself away?

Nothing. There was nothing.

"Please, Severus, please," she croaked, starting to cry.

_Charity, no, _ he thought to himself. He hated it when people cried.

Especially people he, even virtually, cared about.

"Severus, we're friends."

That hit him hard, like a blow in the stomach. Friends. Didn't friends help each other?

He stared into her eyes, dying to say something to her. Something that might comfort her.

He silently hoped that the message would go through.

_Charity, please Charity, stop crying. I can't help you. I'm DYING to but I can't. I didn't mean for this to happen to you. You of all people don't deserve this. You didn't do anything wrong. Be brave, Charity..._

Something in her eyes told him she heard.

But she had little time to contemplate.

_"Avada Kedavra!" _Voldemort shouted and Charity's body fell limp from the rope. Her eyes were wide open and glassy, looking, but not seeing.

And yet again, Lord Voldemort had made Severus's world more lonely.

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_They are NOT romantically involved, but they're friends. I know this sucked, but please review. I've written plenty of stuff and I hoped you liked it all!_


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